St Augustine (Sebastian, St. Augustine: rent, condo, credit)

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by Panks

LM1 I wanted to tell you that you had me laughing so hard, I had tears in my eyes If you are in the hotel industry, your talents are truly wasted..you could easily be a comedy writer! Check out Bill Brysons books on travel...your style reminds me of him

Just curious what cities in the US do you think have great culture? I lived in SF so I've experienced the scene you wrote about. I was hoping to find it or a different but equal version (?) somewhere WARMER. I'm in NoVA now and I'm finding it too cold so Chicago is OUT!..any ideas?

Panks...Sarasota has some culture in the term of culture. It is an area with a great appreciation of the arts of all sorts. You shoud check that area out. That is, if you are only asking about Florida. Otherwise, Austin Texas might be a good choice for you.

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by cricketfan

It is obvious that you're confusing "character" with "culture".

St. Augustine has always had its own special character by virtue of its rich history and architectural landmarks. What has happened over the years is that the waves of people that moved into St. Augustine, including hordes of tourists, have managed to change the whole landscape of St. Augustine. That is happening to a whole bunch of cities in Florida, not just St. Augustine. Fortunately, St. Augustine is still the most historic and unique city in Florida because it has managed to preserve the "old" alongside the "new."

It is okay for you to be nostalgic about the St. Augustine that you once knew. It is not okay for you to denigrate the people who moved here. You can blame consumerism, opportunistic builders, population growth, freedom of travel, weather, whatever. Or you can move to another city. But you can't turn back the clock on St. Augustine.

And by the way, when you refer to "culture", which is an appreciation of the finer things in life, we all interpret those "things" differently. Some of us who can afford what we consider the finer things in life, will seek them, live them and enjoy them. Those who can't will happily gravitate to Walmart, and that's okay, that is what makes us a great country.

I think that both yourself and LM1 raise good points. Whether one is calling it culture or character, St. Aug is lacking both. The majority of readers are going to think culture refers to more of the hip, and that character refers to more of the charm. St. Aug is losing it's charm for sure. As for culture, it doesn't have it.

[poolgirl51]

Originally Posted by LewLew

I don't think that is what the poster was doing. It was an opinion of an aura the area exudes. And yes, it is one of very limited culture, and a very high WalMart culture. If this doesn't apply to you, that is great, but if it truly didn't it would bother you as much as it does the previous poster. While there are nice elements to parts of Jacksonville, and some cultured people, the overwhelming flavor of Jacksonville is unrefined. I will agree it is not a cultural wasteland, but again...the OP was referring to St. Aug, not Jax as a whole.

You are correct the OP was asking about St. Augustine and the post that I responded to was referencing the culture in St. Augustine. That is what I thought this thread was all about. You are also correct in your statement that Jacksonville lacks a high degree of culture.

The real issue here isn't really St. Augustine it is that much of the US, with the exception of sections of some of our much larger cities (NY, Chicago, San Fran etc.), has degenerated to some sort of cultural waste land populated with Wal*Marts and boring chain restaurants. When you travel across the country on the interstates, eating a Cracker Barrel along the way, you could be anywhere. Most places have lost their individuality as a result of this homogenization.

St. Augustine has retained much of it's charm but I would agree it isn't the quirky place it was even 20 years ago. That said it is still a wonderful little town with much to offer.

[bigred1]

I'm a native to St Augustine. I can offer lots of help. I wanted to know more about where in St Augustine you wanted to live. There are some great builders here. Many of them are in need of work too.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by LewLew

....For me, there is nothing charming about the gas stop, the erotica cafe, the rest stop for truckers and the fireworks factory. But, if that is what you find grand.....enjoy it.

After my family relocated to St Aug Beach, we drove down from NY to visit. We laughed our tushies off when the first thing we saw at their exit was a place that's sign reads: WE DARE TO BARE. Granted, their home was another 10-15 mins and a bridge away...

[FrozenAngel]

Originally Posted by LewLew

Whether one is calling it culture or character, St. Aug is lacking both.

Here we go again. Every time I find a place I think I would like to relocate to I hear the same thing over and over again. This area lacks culture. What is our obsession with culture? If we are all so obsessed with it .... why can't we keep it?

And honestly, I am just as bad because I don't want to live somewhere that doesn't have culture!!!

[agreatlife]

Burma Shave ad for Jax time:

It ain't got no culture
And strip joints line the roads
I guess the only choice
Is to flush myself down the commode
... Jacksonville

[coolyorker17]

My sister visited me from corning new york our family home for at least ten generations. Not known for culture. I live in daytona (moved here to help my mom ). We visited Saint Augustine and had a great time.
Not your typical guy here. I like to play sports not follow them. My family watches nascar i dont. I am a Chef and you will never find me eatin in a chain, they do. My sister had fun, I drank everything in. Granted we stayed in the old quarter but I loved it. Been in Florida for 4 years seen Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Key West, liked them but didn't love them. Haven't been to Jacksonville or Tampa.
Saint Augustine was like an oasis in the desert for this guy. I love the History, the buildings, the squares. Loved all the HAPPY tourist guides I met.
Loved all the small streets, and alleys, and courtyards. I did not even buy a thing except food. We stepped on and off the trollies all day.
Give me Art, Museums, Architechture, History, and i am a HAPPY HAPPY guy.
I have to move out of daytona, but not untill August 2009. Like a lot of people in Florida it has taken me years to save enough to make a new start.
Look like its gonna be jacksonville or tampa have to see where i will be comfortable.
I usually work six days a week, Mondays are my only guranteed day off.
I WILL BE SPENDING MANY MANY MONDAYS FOR THE NEXT YEAR JUST WALKING AROUND SAINT AUGUSTINE DRINKIN IN THE BEAUTY. LUCKY LUCKY PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE TREASURE IT

[tklein]

Why stay away from KB homes? they look nice we've been looking at them on the internet....We will be looking for a home in the 240-270 range when we "hopefully"move there.

[ShakenStirred]

Originally Posted by FBoet

Hello everyone. My family and I visited St Augustine a couple of weeks ago and simply loved it. We plan to go back the first week of spring break and wanted some feed back from anyone familiar with St Augustine. I love the fact that there's an ordinance that buildings can't be build higher then
39 ft(?), so no high rises. We want to relocated from Miami. St Augustine reminds me of Key West 20 years ago. Laid back, and the beach is within 15 minutes of just about anywhere within the city limits.

We are looking for new construction and would like any feed back on home builders in the area. We visited Grand Cay, by KB Homes and the prices were very reasonable. A 3,000 sqft, 5/2.5 on 60'X120' for $250,000. Of course that is the "base price". I'm sure the price will jump 10-30% with the "extras".
One thing that I did not like or at least I'm not used to is the wood frame and stucco. I feel more secure in a CBS constructed home. From what I've read the high schools in St John's County are among the best in Florida and not as crowded. I would appreciate any comments, including the Ponte Vedra area.
Thank you, Frank

What exactly are your concerns about wood framing? Strength? Rot?

The wood frame construction that you see today is not even the same as it was just 5 years ago...hurricane codes have gotten to the point where the entire assembly from the roof down to the slab are all tied in together. If you're worried about the rotting...KB uses the highest qualified Weatherization Installers (my company being one of the two ) and although Grand Cay was not one of my assigned communities, I can assure you that the steps they take should eliminate any moisture intrusion concerns. And in addition to that, a wood frame home will be much more comfortable then a block. Block absorbs a tremendous amount of moisture, which will also force your AC unit to work harder, and if you have to make stucco repairs for whatever reason, it's much easier to do this with wood than it is block.

I know someone will probably disagree with me on this topic, but I personally (having been in construction for 20 years or so) would not own a block home. Not only that, with the cost of steel (for the rebar reinforcement) and the cost of concrete products, buying a block home is about to get a lot more expensive. I know this contradicts my previous comments about Pulte building a great home, and that there Nocatee homes are block 1st floor, but I also know they are getting ready to introduce 3 new all wood frame models in there, if they haven't already done so. They have been trending towards wood frame for some time now.

Heck, if you want the added protection and are willing to spend the money, request your builder that they install the new impact resistant housewrap in the walls: StormWrap

It's the first of it's kind, but it is very expensive. However, it costs less to build wood frame and use this stuff than it does to build a block home.

But back to the original topic, I like wood frame, I don't like block construction. That's just one man's opinion though and I'm sure we'll hear from others who like block better.